


Sisterly Affection

by onnari



Category: Chihayafuru
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-03-07
Updated: 2012-03-07
Packaged: 2017-11-01 14:37:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,813
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/357936
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/onnari/pseuds/onnari
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There are two things Chitose does not understand. One is a world where she isn't always the center of attention in her family. The other is something as unappealing as karuta.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sisterly Affection

**Author's Note:**

> Only I would write something starring Chitose of all people. I'm sure a lot of the fandom can't stand her, but I find her sort of endearingly realistic with her narcissism and her sisterly behavior where she exploits and dotes on Chihaya in turn. I'm probably also the only person who would write a fic where Ririka and Chihaya go on to be totally sisters forever. Because in my headcanon, they totally do.

Chitose paused in the doorway, taking the time to lovingly take off each of her new fall boots, a purchase funded in part by some stealthily swiped stray bills left around the house, mostly by Chihaya. Her absentmindedness could always be depended on for a quick profit. 

She was smirking lightly at the thought when she first noticed two extraneous pairs of shoes lying neatly lying out. One adult-sized, the other for a child. Both were unfamiliar. Nothing special to pay much mind to besides the fact that shoes were always points of interest for her and that there clearly was company over. 

Straining her ears, she could now hear the murmur of her mom’s voice and some other woman’s. Chitose fluffed out her hair, straightening her posture. Sighing laboriously at the prospect of parading herself around some other acquaintance of her mother’s, she sauntered over to the hallway mirror. She put on her most winning smile as she straightened out her clothes and then turned straight for the kitchen. It was best to make a quick, impressive appearance and then go off to relax. After the day’s grueling photo shoot, she was looking forward to a long bath and nap. Maybe even catch a rerun of last night’s drama. There might even still be enough time for homework after all that. It was a good plan.

She preened just outside the kitchen’s doorway before floating in, making towards the cabinet as if she was thirsty and going for a glass of water. She waited one second, wondering why her mother hadn’t introduced her yet, before she had to look over at them. Just another older lady, one she had never met, definitely not one of the neighbors. Their backs were turned towards her, peering over one of dad’s scrapbooks. All was right again as she wondered which volume they had chosen.

“Isn’t she just lovely in this kimono?” her mother was saying to her friend’s awed delight.

Chitose smiled, resuming her progress back towards the cabinet. She thought back to just last month when she had taken some truly stellar shots in traditional clothing. Could it be those pictures they were looking over?

“But she never plays in something this grand,” her mother continued, laughing. “Here are some shots of how she actually looks. A friend mother’s took them. She’s the one who loans out the clothing.”

Chitose’s smile froze. What? Her hand holding an empty glass fell down to land with a loud clank on the kitchen table. Her mother and her friend startled, turning around. 

“Oh! Chitose, you’re home already. This is the mother of one of Chihaya’s karuta friends. I’ve just been showing her this scrapbook…” 

Chitose’s eyes fell to the scrapbook in her mother’s hands, Chihaya’s name blaring at her from the cover. She simply could not process it, let alone anything that her mother was saying.

“I can see how she resembles Chihaya,” the friend was saying, gesturing at the scrapbook. “Especially in this photo.”

Her mother peered down at it, grinning. And somehow the page was flipped and they were pointing out another image and yet another.

Chitose stood there, empty glass in hand. She cleared her throat once or twice for good measure. She hovered expectantly. Surely the world would right itself in a moment.

“Chitose, you should get some water. It sounds like you need it,” her mother said noncommittally, peering down at another picture. And then thinking better of it, she glanced up. Chitose straightened, waiting for some acknowledgement. “And maybe you should bring something up to Chihaya and her guest while you’re at it. Chihaya’s been so oblivious and hasn’t come down to get anything. But they must be distracted. They’ve been getting along like perfect sisters. Chihaya has been going on about how Ririka plays just like she used to.”

With a grunt that was lost in the noise of the two mothers chatting, Chitose picked up a tray and placed two filled glasses on top of it. With one last sullen glare at the two women, she stalked out of the room, wondering when that volume of Chihaya’s had gotten so full. But she told herself that wasn’t jealous of her little sister. That would be ridiculous. Chihaya had less grace than she had in her pinky.

She took the stairs two at a time even with the tray in hand, her look darkening even more at the all too familiar sound of Chihaya practicing karuta. She could practically keep time to the thumps of her swings against the hardwood floor. They were so obnoxious and dependable that their mother sometimes even kept track of time for cooking by listening to Chihaya’s practice sessions. Like clockwork, Chihaya could be depended on to practice in forty minute sets. Roughly the running time of an episode of one of Chitose’s dramas. She hated that she knew that.

Today the thumping was more obnoxious than ever, and she could put two and two together to know that the culprit behind that fact was the owner of the child-sized pair of shoes. She could hear giggling too, and she hated herself for suddenly halting darkly outside the door. As if she needed to compose herself before entering her sister’s door.

Still she waited another few heartbeats before she finally slid the door open with her foot.

“Hey! Chihaya!” she said irately, leaning in the doorframe and struggling very hard to not scowl outright. Some dignity had to be kept in front of visitors. Even another karuta freak. “Can’t you ever keep it down? I’ve had a stressful day.” She addressed the words towards Chihaya, but she couldn’t help immediately taking in the girl she had over.

She was a young girl, definitely the owner of the shoes, and she was hunched over in that ridiculous karuta pose with Chihaya. Why anyone would want to be caught dead looking like that was really the question that needed to be asked. But they both looked up at her, appearing not in the least self-conscious.

Instead Chihaya grinned sheepishly and said, “Sorry, Chitose. I guess I just got a little too excited. It’s been a while since someone’s come over to keep me company for practice. Usually everyone’s so dead set against it.”

“With good reason,” Chitose mumbled under breath. Before moving forward and setting down the tray with a clatter. “For you two. Because apparently you’re not a very good host.” She offered an apologetic smile towards the younger girl.

She was small and almost offensively adorable. Somehow her oversized ears added to the appeal. Not that she could ever get a modeling job with them. But she supposed some people, namely karuta freaks, didn’t give too much thought to those kinds of things.

Chihaya looked back and forth between them, waving her hands. “Ah, sorry! This is my older sister, Chitose. Chitose, this is Ririka. We met at the Eastern Qualifiers, and she was in the city and wanted to stop by. You should see her play. She’s amazing and her speed is unbelievable!”

Ririka lit up at the praise, grabbing Chihaya’s hand earnestly. “But you’re better. And even faster,” she said wistfully. 

Chihaya latched onto Ririka’s other hand, clasping them together and giving them an encouraging squeeze. Her sweet, warm smile was directed fully at Ririka and it left Chitose feeling almost bereft. “But just think in a couple of years how amazing you’ll be. You’re not even in middle school yet! You’re a true prodigy! If we play again, I’d definitely have to be careful.”

Chitose was nearly going to barf at how emotional they were getting over such a stupid card game. She needed to leave that room immediately. And yet with forced boredom she found herself saying, “How did you two weirdoes ever find each other? You met at the what? The Eastern-what’s-it?”

“The Eastern Qualifiers!” Chihaya said, pulling a face. “I must have mentioned it a million times by now. All A rank players in the east play in it if they hope to advance to play the Masters for their title! We’re both trying to dethrone the current Queen. Right, Ririka?”

“She’s still so much better than both of us,” Ririka said, admiration besting hopelessness and to reign on her face. “She’s the real prodigy. The youngest Queen ever!”

“Yeah,” Chihaya sighed, her eyes shining. “To be on her level is my dream, you know. I even put down “Queen” as my college plan for school. The teacher got unbelievably mad at me later when she found out.”

Okay, enough was enough. Like hell Chitose’d stand there and watch two lame karuta freaks fawn over some other weirdo karuta girl. She felt a pang of inexplicable sadness in her chest, a kind of throbbing sensation. She wondered what had happened to those days when Chihaya would direct that dreamy look at her, would declare her older sister’s dream to be her own.

“I can tell you girls worked hard,” Chitose said, bitterly but sincerely. “Let me buy you both some ice cream or something. I just got paid today.” She hadn’t premeditated the offer, but hell, it felt right. She was rewarded with both girls directing sparkling eyes directly at her. Chihaya’s mouth was practically watering. That was more like it.

“Are you sure you can afford it, Chitose? You’re constantly running out of money with the rate you buy things.”

A vein popped out in Chitose’s temple that she quickly smoothed over. Sometimes she swore that Chihaya was going to end her modeling career early. “I think can afford some ice cream of all things,” she finally managed. “Now wipe that drool off your face and hurry up before I change my mind!”

Chihaya’s entire face brightened as she and Ririka filed out the door after her older sister. Chitose could hear the affectionate words behind her, but her world was righted as she heard them being directed towards her.

“Isn’t my sister the best? She’s a model, you know.” 

“And her personality matches her looks!” the younger girl chimed in.

“I know, right? She’s the prettiest girl I know. One day she’ll be the number one model in Japan.”

Chitose smirked lightly. “Yeah, and it’ll probably happen when you’re Queen or whatever.”

“Why not?” Chihaya said, a smile lighting up her face as she swung an arm around Chitose’s shoulder. “We can be the number one Ayase sisters. The Queens of Japan.”

“Don’t be so corny,” Chitose replied, shrugging off her sister’s arm. But a ridiculous smile caught at the corner of her lips, and she couldn’t shake it away even though she knew that everyone could see it as Ririka protested with Chihaya that she'd be Queen first.

All right, so she’d admit it. It was corny, but somehow Chitose still liked the sound of it.


End file.
